Killer freeze health alert

THOUSANDS of people will die in Britain’s Arctic freeze this winter unless urgent action is taken to help the vulnerable and frail.

The elderly and frail are being advised to take precuations this winter/posed by model []

Shock new figures reveal that 24,000 died in the UK
from cold last winter. Now campaigners fear the brutal freeze due to
grip the ­country over the next three months will reap an even higher
death toll.

The warnings come as hard-pressed
households struggle to cope with rocketing energy bills, with many
facing a stark choice between keeping warm or buying food.

Charities
for the elderly said it was a “national disgrace” that the lives of our
­vulnerable ­citizens were put at risk because they cannot afford to
switch the heating on. Others branded Britain “uncivilised” for
tolerating more cold-related deaths than snow-bound countries like
Finland.

Parts of the UK are already officially
on high alert, meaning temperatures are low enough to give rise to
“significant health risks”.

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Every year tens of thousands of older people die needlessly from the cold

But the Department
of Health’s standard advice to “heat your home” was labelled meaningless
because so many cannot afford heating.

Mark Todd, of price comparison site Energyhelpline, said: “UK households are preparing for a big freeze as temperatures are forecast to possibly plummet to a 100-year low.

“Against the backdrop of the worst recession for a century, household budgets are being pounded by unemployment, shrinking wages and the biggest energy bills in UK history.”

The National Pensioners ­Convention called on ministers to introduce a three-point plan to curb winter deaths.

General secretary Dot Gibson said: “Every year tens of thousands of older people die needlessly from the cold.

“Ministers need to take this scandal seriously and increase the winter fuel allowance to £500 for every ­pensioner household, expand the programme of insulation and energy efficiency measures across the country, and prevent the Big Six energy companies from making excessive profits from vulnerable customers.

“For too long successive ­governments have simply tried to ignore the scale of winter deaths among older people, but no civilised society would allow this to keep happening.”

Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, said: “Even in very cold countries such as Finland, excess winter deaths are much lower than in the UK because they take staying warm seriously and prepare for cold weather.” A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said: “It is a national disgrace that millions of our homes are so poorly insulated that people living in them struggle with their energy bills.”

The Office for National Statistics revealed that almost 20,000 of those who died from cold last winter were aged 75 or over. The total death toll of 24,000 was lower than the 26,800 recorded in 2010.

The Department of Health said: “We’re pleased to see there was an overall reduction, however, there is no room for complacency.

“We have allocated £20million to local authorities to help vulnerable people stay well during cold weather.”